I've long been saying that if Oscar voters actually see Ralph Fiennes Shakespearean adaptation Coriolanus -- it's an "if" because 80% of the contenders, even the teensy tiny ones, chose December as their best Oscar strategy -- it'll be tough to stop Vanessa Redgrave from crushing her Best Supporting Actress competition. Though Fiennes is the actor/director it's the legendary Oscar winner who walks away with the movie as his proud, fierce, monster mom, so proud of her son's battle scars she comes across as yet more bloodthirsty than he.

So today she picks up her second precursor after the British Independent Film Awards. San Francisco apparently likes their moms all sticky with a violent son's blood. See also their best actress winner: Tilda Swinton

Reader Comments (8)

I'm really hoping Redgrave pulls out a win this year. I've been worried about her because she's been MIA with most of the critics' awards choosing instead to honor Jessica Chastain's gargantuan collection of performances (which is fine, although I really wish one group would have the balls to pick ONE).

And one minor, funny quibble...I think you put "James Brooks" instead of "Albert Brooks"...let's hope James L. Brooks doesn't come out of hiding until he's atoned for his sins after committing the How Do You Know atrocity.

omg SWEET! they honored *five* of what are shaping up to be my favorites of the year in their respective categories (i.e. TREE OF LIFE, Malick, Swinton, Redgrave, Lubezki). I doubt we'll see another critic org with winners this deserving.

Yes! I still can't believe Binoche haven't won any prizes yet. I had this wishful thinking that she'd win LA and then would start a campaign. I love Poetry and Jeong-hie Yun, but not even this magnificent lady from Korea had such a difficult role and this task to gove flesh to a brilliant gimmick. It's like twenty performaces in one, and every one is fake and every one is true, and the movie is a game but it's still devastating. OMG I love this movie and this role only is maze in which we'd be lost if we weren't seeing such a marvelous actress playing it. It's a miracle.

And, I sorry?, but no screenplay in this decade will be half as intelligent and provocative and perfect. In the next 20 years, maybe.

Critics' groups in San Francisco, San Diego, and to a lesser extent, Chicago and LA, seem to make more iconoclastic selections for their top prizes than in other cities, which tend to be safer and more mainstream. In a very competitive year for pretty much all categories, it will be interesting to see how San Diego and Chicago weigh in.